It only took six seasons, but we finally saw some proper payoff in Jack and Preacher’s friendship and brotherhood.
Preacher’s storyline reached its climax in the first half of Virgin River’s sixth season, and luckily, we were able to wrap it up with Preacher’s past behind Paige’s back after she killed her abusive ex. A piece of history.
Unfortunately, this arc meant that between the Virgin River holiday event and the start of the new season, police arrested Preacher for Wes’ murder.
One of the frustrations of waiting between seasons is that we miss out on those little details that might be of interest to us. As we enter this arc, we learn that Preacher is on trial and is going through a rough time.
Bree was his defense attorney in the big trial, which was mostly limited to interested parties: Preacher, Kaia, Bree, Jack, and Mel.
We get the sense that the whole town is rooting for the Preacher, and we even learn that Connie is more than willing to perjure herself on the witness stand if it means helping her friend, because she knows what’s going on better than anyone and is fully committed to assisting Preacher. Strange, yes.
But when it comes to being an unwavering supporter of the Preacher during his darkest moments, we have Kaia, who is absolutely adorable in taking the relationship further and building it into a lasting and meaningful one.
This arc puts the bookend in the frustrating position of one character’s impact on the series lasting longer than her actual impact on Preacher.
For almost the entire series, Preacher’s storyline revolves around Peggy and everything he does for her because he’s a good guy who truly cares about her.
However, Preacher’s arc has also always been about Jack. He often plays his supporting role and becomes his most coveted confidant, friend, and therapist.
He was always there to give Jack sage advice, especially as Jack had been struggling with the mental and emotional war wounds he had carried for so long.
Preacher faces his fair share of problems throughout Virgin River, but when it comes to whether they extend to his best friend, they tend not to.
While not intentional, Jack comes off as more self-absorbed in their dynamic, mostly because he always seems to be faced with something that requires Preacher’s drive, tough love, or judgment.
As a result, their relationship always seemed frustratingly uneven and didn’t necessarily line up with what the characters were telling us.
It feels like they tell us more than they show us about the bromance between Jack and Preacher.
That’s not to say they didn’t have some meaningful moments. It’s adorable when Preacher is the first person Jack talks about having kids, and he knows without a doubt that he wants Preacher to be the godfather to his kids.
We also had special moments, like when Jack asked Preacher to be his best man. These are certainly powerful ways to support their friendships and close relationships.
Even among them, however, there are moments that focus more on Jack than on Preacher, which has always been a major problem with Virgin Rivers regarding their relationship.
Most of the time, when Preacher faces a trial or tribulation, or struggles with what he wants to be next in life, Jack is clueless, or learns things too late in the game.
Jack never created a space for Preacher to be as vulnerable and open as Jack, nor did he make time for it.
To put it bluntly, Preacher and Jack’s friendship and brotherhood have always lacked reciprocity.
But this situation finally reveals everything they’ve told us over the years about the deep bromance between Jack and Preacher, and how it holds up for both of them.
Too often, Jack feels like he’s so caught up in his own problems, his own life, or the lives of others in Virgin River that he never takes a moment to care about his best friend.
But because of Preacher’s needs, Wes’ death threatens to take 25’s life, forcing Jack to focus on Preacher wholeheartedly and truly treat him as a friend and brother.
We get the sense that Jack spent a lot of time with Preacher between his arrest and trial, and that the two spent a lot of time and energy together building Jack and Mel’s future home, as it was a nice distraction It is also a way to relieve anxiety.
Jack accompanies Preacher throughout as he adjusts to his possible fate and grapples with what will happen to him if a jury of his peers finds him guilty.
Jack’s genuine concern for his friend is palpable, which is a refreshing change for the two.
It also allows us to see how important missionaries are to Jack, since we’re so used to him taking them for granted.
We can clearly see how stressed out Jack is by losing his best friend to unjust incarceration, and it’s clear how challenging it would be for Jack if this were to come to fruition.
He couldn’t even focus on his upcoming wedding if it meant his brother wouldn’t be there. This is one of the few times we see Jack bend over backwards, providing every ounce of support missionary needs in as many ways as possible.
Jack kept him active and distracted, spending all his spare time with him, and constantly letting Preacher know that he was a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear.
Jake playing the supporting role of missionary for change is something we are long overdue.
It also serves the character of Jack well, excelling at highlighting Jack’s evolution as a character and how emotionally and mentally stable he is now.
It was definitely the right thing to do that season.
Over to you, Viking River fanatics.
What do you think of how this season showcases Jack and Preacher’s bromance? Do you like seeing Jack support missionaries in making a difference?
Please click to comment below!
